


Coincidences (or Christmas Miracles)

by ilsafausts (phoenix_cry)



Category: Mission: Impossible, Mission: Impossible (Movies)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Ethan is a lovesick idiot and everybody knows it, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Jane meets Ilsa, Light Angst, Romance, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics, Team as Family, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:35:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28453218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenix_cry/pseuds/ilsafausts
Summary: Another year draws to a close, another mission successfully done. The team enjoys some downtime at a Christmas market - and meet someone unexpected.
Relationships: Ilsa Faust/Ethan Hunt
Comments: 9
Kudos: 41





	Coincidences (or Christmas Miracles)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shutupmulder](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shutupmulder/gifts).



> This one is for Victoria, for being my one-woman cheering squad, and for always managing to give me all the Ilsa/Ethan feels. I love you, girl. Stay awesome <3

Seven months had passed since the events in Kashmir. Seven months since he’d last seen her. His injuries had healed, his bruises had faded, but the impressions she’d left behind had not. 

They had handed off Solomon Lane to MI6, via the white Widow acting as their courier. They had spent a carefree evening together, laughing, joking, sharing stories of their pasts, exchanging lingering touches, and Ethan had foolishly thought that they could finally take this _thing_ between them and make it last. 

When he went to look for her the next morning, she was gone, and there had been no trace of her left behind. 

When he saw her again, it was on an early Friday afternoon, in the middle of winter, and snow was slowly falling from the sky, gently covering everything in its quietness. She was standing off to the side of the small Christmas market, looking up at the sky. The content smile on her face and the overall picture she presented would burn itself into his memory. 

She was wearing a dark green wool coat and a deep red scarf was wrapped securely around her throat. Both colors were setting the perfect contrast for the pure white of the snowflakes dotting her clothes. Her hair lay loosely around her shoulders, soft curls framing her face delicately.

He had just returned to his friends and handed out the warm drinks he’d been getting for them when he had spotted her. So far, in his shock and admiration for the vision she presented, his drink had remained untouched.

“Yo, Ethan, your drink’s getting cold.” Brandt pointed out. “What’s gotten you into such a trance anyway?” He asked and he started looking around, following his friend’s gaze across the marketplace. “Oh.” 

“ _Ohh_.” Benji followed suit as he finally spotted his friend’s distraction as well. 

Luther just chuckled knowingly, while Jane Carter looked lost. “Anyone wanna fill me in here?”

Luther leaned over to her and not-quite whispered, “She’s the one that got away.”

Jane gave him an incredulous look and then turned to follow everyone’s line of sight. She had to admit the other woman made quite the striking image, with her head tilted back, eyes closed and a serene smile painting her red lips, she looked stunning - and slightly out of place in the hustle and bustle of the other people milling around her.

As if she could feel their gazes on her - and judging by the intensity with which Ethan was staring at her, she probably could - her eyes opened and her head turned towards them, her eyes locking unerringly onto Ethan’s. 

Besides them, she could hear her friend gasp quietly, but Jane was too hypnotized by the sheer force of emotions currently playing over the other woman’s face to pay him any mind. Surprise, shock, joy, love, pain. All of these emotions warred for dominance before the latter finally won out, and it was Jane’s turn to gasp in sympathy. 

With a blink the emotions were gone and a neutral mask had taken their place. A just as neutral smile settled on her lips, and Jane winced, remembering the ethereal smile from just moments ago with a pang. 

Ethan let out a shuddering breath as Ilsa slowly made her way over to them, gracefully weaving in and out of the masses until she was standing before them. 

“Hello, Ethan,” she carefully ventured, unsure of the welcome she’d receive. 

Judging by the looks on the other’s faces, none of them were sure how Ethan would react. They held their breaths.

“Ilsa,” he gave her a nod in greeting, his voice surprisingly strong despite the inner turmoil he had to be feeling right now. 

“It’s...good to see you,” Ilsa continued, before giving all of them a small smile, “All of you.”

“Good to see you, too, kiddo.” Luther said, welcoming her with a warm squeeze of her shoulder. 

“Hey, Ilsa!” Benji greeted her with a grin and a quick hug. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but...what _are_ you doing here?” Leave it to Benji to ask the question they were all thinking.

Ilsa gave him a shrug and a slightly lopsided smile, before lowering her voice a little. “Just finished a mission and thought I’d make the best of the time off I’ve got while awaiting word on the next one.”

“What a coincidence - so are we!” Benji exclaimed before a frown settled between his eyebrows. “Wait a minute! Mission? I thought you were out of the game?”

Another shrug. “So did I, but they approached me literally the next morning and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.” Here, she cast a quick glance in Ethan’s direction and for just a second there was that pain in her expression again before it was gone just as quickly. 

“And here I was, certain you never wanted anything to do with MI6 ever again,” Ethan finally spoke, a slight bitterness, but mostly confusion carrying in his voice.

Ilsa turned to look at him fully and bit her lip before whispering, “I never said anything about MI6.”

“Wha-” Ethan started, but then suddenly, understanding dawned on him. “Are you saying...you’re…?”

“IMF? Yes, that’s what I’m saying,” a careful, almost shy smile began appearing on her lips, and a hopeful glimmer began sparking in her blue eyes. 

If it hadn’t been absurdly obvious from the second she’d seen those two interacting with each other that they were spoken for, Jane would have been all too happy to try and woo Ilsa herself. Alas, that was clearly an impossible mission. Inwardly, Jane chuckled at her own pun. 

“That’s why you were gone so suddenly? Back then, in London?” 

Ilsa gave a shuddering sigh and stepped closer, gently daring to grasp Ethan’s hands in her own. “I’m so sorry Ethan, I never meant to leave like that. They pretty much left me no choice.”

Ethan chuckled and shook his head. “Yeah, they’re pretty good at that.” His hands, Jane saw, gave Ilsa’s a reassuring squeeze. 

Jane smiled. She had a feeling things were going to be okay. 

“Welcome to the IMF,” she said, and Ilsa gave her a thankful smile. 

They continued drinking their, by now lukewarm, drinks, chatted, laughed, and exchanged the highlights of the last few months, while also pondering the quite extraordinary coincidence of all of them finding themselves in the same place at the same time. A Christmas miracle indeed. Or simply just their bosses making sure the team found each other again.

All the while, Jane noted with a smirk, Ethan and Ilsa’s hands remained clasped together. 

If she were a romantic sap, her heart would do a joyful dance right now, surely. Since she wasn’t, she just continued sipping at her drink and laughing at the story Benji was currently regaling Ilsa with. Something about Ethan hijacking a bike and ending up stuck in a swamp. 

An hour later, it was getting dark and they had just finished their third mulled wine, which had been delicious, and done its utmost at keeping them warm. The cold, however, was getting more relentless with each passing minute, and Jane admitted to herself that she should have worn warmer boots. At least her brand-new, mustard-colored gloves were still doing their job. 

Eventually, the others seemed to begin to feel the cold as well, and they all decided unanimously to relocate to somewhere warmer. 

“Where are you staying?” She heard Ethan murmuring into Ilsa’s ear and his voice was pleasantly gravely. She could only imagine what it must be doing to Ilsa’s insides right now. 

“A safehouse a few kilometers east of here,” she answered, her voice remarkably steady. 

“Would you like to join us in ours? It’s close by and we’ve got more than enough room.” If Jane hadn’t known better, he sounded nervous. The thought made her almost giggle. 

The others seemed to think so as well because they were doing a shitty job of hiding their smirks. 

Ilsa cast a look at the others. “If...if that’s alright with everyone?”

The smirks turned into welcoming smiles at once. “More than alright,” Luther reassured her.

Benji and Brandt gave her a nod, while Jane smiled widely. “I could sure use another woman to hang out with, so you won’t hear me complaining.”

Ilsa chuckled. “Alright then. Just let me grab my things and let me know where to meet you.”

“Need some help?” Ethan offered helpfully, although he wasn’t fooling anyone. Ilsa gave him a knowing look but accepted his help gracefully.

“I wouldn’t mind another helping hand to carry some things, thank you.”

“We’ll meet you back at the safe house, then,” Ethan said, without taking his eyes off Ilsa.

“Suuure,” Jane said, not at all bothering to hide the smirk this time. 

Ethan didn’t seem to notice, anyway.

“See you guys later,” Benji said and gave a half-hearted wave of his hand. 

“See you later,” Ilsa replied, giving them all a quick smile, while Ethan managed to tear his eyes away from her for a second to give them a hasty smile as well. 

The team laughed and shook their heads good-naturedly at their leader’s obvious infatuation, but let them be and began making their way back to their safe house.

They were just about to turn a corner when Jane decided to cast another glance over her shoulder, and all of her snark vanished in light of the picture they presented. In a crowd full of moving people, they were the epitome of stillness; Ethan’s hands carefully cupping Ilsa’s face, as he leaned in and pressed the gentlest of kisses against her lips. They remained unmoving, lost in each other, as the snow continued to fall around them. 

Jane blinked back a tear as her heart warmed at the sight. 

A moment later, the two figures were lost in the sea of people and Jane followed behind her teammates. 

She was pretty sure those two weren’t going to make it back to the safe house anytime soon. 

She was also sure none of them were going to mind that fact one bit.

~fin

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I hope all of you had lovely holidays, and managed to make the best of this whole situation. 
> 
> I wish all of you all the best and, most importantly, good health! Happy New Year, lovelies! Stay safe! <3


End file.
